Victoria · Melbourne
Mattress disposal in Melbourne
In Victoria, furniture and mattresses cannot go in any kerbside bin. Sound pieces are worth giving away first: several Melbourne charities collect. What is finished goes on your council's hard waste collection, which may be scheduled or booked on call, or to a transfer station. Keep mattresses dry, because wet ones are rejected.
Sources Victorian Auditor-General: council waste management servicesSoft Landing mattress recyclingSacred Heart Mission op shopsVinnies: donate goods
What do I do with furniture & mattresses in VIC?
- Sound and clean? Sell or give it away first. Marketplace, Buy Nothing groups, or a charity that collects larger items.
- Mattresses need a recycler Not kerbside. A recycler strips the steel, foam and timber, usually for a small fee. Keep it dry — wet mattresses get rejected.
- Genuinely finished? Council bulk collection, within the collection window only.
Hard waste is not universal in Victoria. Councils run it as a scheduled kerbside pick-up for the whole municipality or as an on-call booking, and some run none at all.
Nearest drop-off: Council waste and recycling services, all 79 Victorian councils (archived Sustainability Victoria page)
In Victoria, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Sacred Heart Mission sit alongside Salvos, Vinnies and Savers, though Vinnies does not collect from private homes here. Ring before you drive: opening hours and what they accept change, and a closed door is how donations become dumping. Salvos and Vinnies both list stores by suburb.
Does every Victorian council collect hard waste?
No. Victorian councils run hard waste either as a scheduled kerbside pick-up for the whole municipality or as an on-call service the household books. It is not universal: the Victorian Auditor-General found that in 2019-20, 43 of the 79 councils provided a hard waste service at all. That count is from 2019-20, so check your own council rather than assuming.
Will a charity collect furniture in Melbourne?
Some will. Sacred Heart Mission runs 16 op shops across Melbourne and offers free collection of large donations in inner Melbourne, including furniture, white goods and large quantities of clothes and household items. Salvos Stores books free home collections on its site, typically three to four weeks out. Brotherhood of St Laurence takes furniture, homewares and electrical goods in sellable condition, with donations booked through its own service.
Does Vinnies collect donations from homes in Victoria?
Not from private homes. Vinnies states that donations are not collected from private homes in Victoria, so a Victorian donation has to be dropped at a shop or a donation bin. That differs from some other states, and it catches people who assume a pickup is available. If you need collection in Melbourne, try Sacred Heart Mission or Salvos Stores instead.
Where can I recycle a mattress in Victoria?
Victoria has no state mattress scheme. Soft Landing, a national social enterprise, collects and recycles mattresses in Melbourne, charging a fee to drop one off and a higher fee for collection. Otherwise a mattress goes through council hard waste or a transfer station, both priced by the council. Keep it dry.
Need it gone this week?
Compare council collection, recycling and pickup options on the mattress removal page for Melbourne.